New from Prudential: Level Term Life to Age 65

Coffee is second to petroleum as the most valuable traded commodity, but it has more than just monetary value.

With an average of 12 billion pounds consumed every year, coffee has been linked with a series of health benefits that can improve your quality of life, which can lower health and life insurance rates.

In December 2012, the American Cancer Society published a study that linked coffee consumption and the reduced risk of oral/pharyngeal (mouth and throat) cancer. Researchers found that people who drank four or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day were about half as likely to die from this disease as people who drank little to no coffee.

No significant link was found for decaffeinated coffee, and no link at all for tea. Participates who used tobacco or consumed alcohol on a regular basis didn’t see as great of results. This is because tobacco and alcohol are two of the strongest risk factors for oral/pharyngeal cancer.

“We are not recommending people all drink four cups of coffee a day,” said lead author Janet Hildebrand, MPH. “This is just a bit of good news for those of us who enjoy coffee.”

Researchers at Harvard University recently analyzed the connection between women who drank coffee and the reduced risk of developing endometrial cancer. Their report showed that women who drank four or more cups of coffee had a 25% lower risk of developing this cancer.

According to their research, drinking coffee showed to lower levels of insulin and estrogen, which at high levels have been linked to endometrial cancer.

Both of these studies showed evidence that consuming four or more cups of coffee every day can reduce your risk of certain types of cancer. Unfortunately, it cannot prevent these conditions from ever happening.

Drinking coffee can also reduce the risk of the following cancers and diseases:

– Prostrate cancer

– Oral cancer

– Breast cancer recurrence

– Basel cell carcinoma (skin cancer)

– Type II diabetes

– Parkinson’s Disease

– Dementia and Alzheimer’s

Other health benefits include:

– Lower risk of depression

– Contains more antioxidants than green tea

– Temporary weight loss

– (Legal) performance booster

– Increases longevity

“Coffee drinking has been associated with some positive health benefits, and we have not been able to find much wrong with drinking moderate amounts,” said nutritionist Lisa R. Young, author of The Portion Teller Plan.

People who have been diagnosed with cancer or other conditions will often pay higher premiums over time for insurance.